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Thursday, July 10, 2014

VP BINAY SUPPORTS CALLS TO BARE DAP LIST, AUDIT DAP FUNDS

MANILA-Vice
President Jejomar C. Binay on Thursday said he supports calls for the
full disclosure of all projects funded by the Disbursement Acceleration Program
(DAP).

In a
speech during the regular meeting of the Rotary Club of Manila, the Vice
President said full disclosure is “a good starting point” to prove “good faith”
by those who conceived and implemented the controversial program.

“Let
me state as a lawyer that the question of accountabilities of government
officials would have to be reckoned as part of the legal and logical
consequences of this groundbreaking decision. As you all know, the Supreme
Court (SC) has placed the onus of proving ‘good faith’ on those who conceived
and implemented the DAP,” Binay said.

“But
where do we start? For me, a good starting point would be to make available to
the public all the projects funded by DAP. This is after all, consistent with
the tenets of full transparency that is the cornerstone of the Aquino
administration and I do hope my colleagues will reconsider a reported decision
to withhold the release of the so-called DAP list,” he added.

Binay
said he also supports the proposal of some sectors for an independent audit of
the DAP funds.

“And
this should be done as soon as possible,” he said.

The
Vice President said that speaking as a lawyer, the SC decision and the separate
concurring opinions are “rather clear, if not brutally frank, on the matter of
accountability.”

“There
is no room to speculate or look for hidden clues in the decision of the high
court,” he said.

Binay
also called for continued vigilance on the so-called Napoles scam.

“It
is essential that we see this cleansing of government to its just
conclusion—public service without taint of self-interest, without a tinge of
deception and political persecution,” he said.

Meanwhile,
Binay also expressed disbelief over recent sentiments that life was better
during Martial Law.

“It
is a sentiment I will not accept. Yes there was peace and quiet, but it was, to
paraphrase a famous expression, the peace and quiet of the graveyard,” he said.

“I
will never trade one day of freedom for all the illusory trappings of
tranquility obtained through force under the dictatorship,” the Vice President
added.